Abstract

The FDI is working on a tool that will include patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in the overall evaluation of endodontic treatment outcomes. Various clinical and radiographic criteria have traditionally been used to determine the outcome of endodontic treatment. However, the impact of treatment on a patient’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is not addressed by these parameters. OHRQoL, a crucial PROM, can be used to understand treatment outcomes from a patient-centered perspective, enhancing communication between clinicians and patients and directing decision-making. The purpose of this narrowed-down review is to compare the OHRQoL of patients who had surgical endodontic treatment versus nonsurgical root canal treatment, with a particular focus on the minimal important difference (MID; the minimum changes in an outcome instrument’s score that a patient needs to see a change that is clinically significant in their OHRQoL and/or oral condition) as well as the methods used to figure it out. According to the current evidence, patients who require root canal treatment have lower OHRQoL than those who do not. As a result,the literature suggests that either nonsurgical or surgical endodontic treatment improves OHRQoL. However, due to the wide range of study methods, neither MID recommendations nor high-confidence conclusions can be drawn. Therefore, clinical studies with appropriate follow-up times and baseline measurements are required. Even though there are many outcome studies in the literature, more research is needed on PROMs, especially in relation to the MID. The MID will make it easier to comprehend changes in outcome scores from the patients’ perspective, allowing for better clinical practice decision-making.